Schistocytes Evaluation in Iron Deficiency: An Assessment Adopted From ICSH Nomenclature Guideline

Abstract Objective The diagnostic validity of schistocyte count in diagnosing iron deficiency in the microcytic population is critical to evaluate. The purpose of this study is to identify the correlation between schistocyte count and iron parameters, and the performance of schistocyte count in diagnosing iron deficiency in the microcytic population.Results Out of 805 general check-up participants, 65 subjects consisting of 17 males and 48 females aged 18–56 years had Mean Corpuscular Value (MCV) < 80 fL. Serum ferritin examination showed 25 patients with iron deficiency and the other 40 subjects without iron deficiency. There was a significant difference in the schistocyte count between the two groups (p < 0,001). Correlation analysis obtained a significant relationship between schistocyte count and serum ferritin (r=-0,67, p < 0,001). The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis provided Area Under the Curve (AUC) of schistocyte count is 0.827 with Youden Index (YI) 55% for a cut-off of ≥0.75%.